Cricket: Ramprakash Hits New Milestone

The batting statistic that is Mark Ramprakash yesterday passed another milestone in his 19-year career when he scored his 27,000th first-class run on his way to a third century of the season.

The 36-year-old's stand of 156 with Mark Butcher ensured maximum batting points for Surrey, now only one point behind the leaders Essex, and set up the charge by James Benning and Rikki Clarke and the declaration which left Worcestershire to face 16 overs.

Ramprakash had to wait while Jonathan Batty and Scott Newman added 18 to their overnight stand of 126 before Zaheer Khan found movement and the edge of Newman's bat, then he took a while settling in before the ball started to zip off the square. A drive and a cut for boundaries came off one Matt Mason over before the amiable left-arm spin of Ray Price nestled among the members in the middle tier of the pavilion. Batty also enjoyed himself in their stand of 57 before, on 69, he danced down the wicket to his namesake Gareth but failed to clear mid-off.

Ramprakash sailed on past his first fifty - in 83 balls - and accelerated to his century, the 82nd of his career. His first mistake was his last, offering no shot to the 163rd ball he faced, which Kabir Ali seamed in to clip off stump.

Watching all 20 Ramprakash boundaries from slip was Graeme Hick, veteran of 38,000 first-class runs himself but only 32 of them this season. He picked up the catches to dismiss Newman, Ali Brown and Butcher for 74 after dropping him on one off Price, who had his revenge 11 Butcher boundaries later but suffered in the late charge as Benning scored 52 and Clarke twice put Batty into the new stand at the Vauxhall end on the way to 38.